The Eyes of Maten
by Kazoo Avenger
Summary: *Soon to be updated!* The author is about to graduate-- and will now then finish the story!!!
1. Vengance

Hey! This was an idea I had-- an outsider witnessing the battle with the thunder brothers _( kinda sounds like some cheesy wwf characters_). Also remember that Naga sees everything from an outsider's POV-- plus I am kinda sympathetic to the brothers, even if they are kinda whacked also left Shippou and Kagome out of my little re-enactment.-- Please remember I am not _intentionally_ bashing anyone!--thanks, K. A.

(_Aikonaga (pronounced Eye-koh Nahg-ah) is mine-- and her name is not an actual Japanese name, I know_.)

(insert Inuyasha disclaimer here-- I know/own nothing!!) 

The sun drifted behind silvery clouds, hiding its face against the stillness that permeated the air. The trees stood, tall and ancient with weathered faces to the breeze.

Aikonaga paused in her steps to wipe the dampness from her forehead, her eyes taking in the view even as she shifted shoulder straps to more comfortable positions. She lifted her face to the breeze, sending a prayer of thanks heavenwards, little as it was, and lifted her hand to shade her eyes. 

Through a break in the trees, Aikonaga could see a great light flickering, _almost like lightening.._ She experimentally sniffed the air; _...youkai? maybe..._

A stillness seemed to come over the forest as Aikonaga turned towards the disturbance, wincing at the sounds of thunder crackling suddenly overhead in the sky.

Naga flinched as another bought of noise shook the leaves of the trees nearest her. Gripping her walking stick more tightly, she continued forward, the phrase 'curiosity killed the cat' ringing in her mind. Naga gritted her teeth, willing herself to put aside her qualms; _besides, its probably nothing to worry about-- and what if you never see thunder like that again? Think of all the stories you'll have to tell!_

Though the spot she had seen through the trees hadn't seemed all that far away, Naga soon felt winded as she half jogged and half walked towards the source of the bursts of light and sound. But as she neared the strobing energy, the metallic, earthy smell seemed to thicken before her. Youkai..?

Naga almost turned back before a small reasoning voice trickled through her mind; _but if it was youkai I smelled, they would have found me by now._ Naga blinked, stories about the demon lords surfacing in her mind; she pictured them with their blood red eyes, cruel faces set with glinting yellowed fangs, dripping with the life of the innocents they murdered; their sharp noses twitching as they sought out new conquests. 

They would have smelled me long before I even realized the danger.

Naga touched her necklace, bought as protection against all things ill, youkai included, the seller had promised. Though she had her doubts, Naga had handed over the coins and slipped it over her head; even if it didn't warn off evil spirits, it was still a beautiful piece of jewelry. Now, Aikonaga rolled the beads nervously against the pads of her fingers, as if trying to find solace in their glassine smoothness.

Naga glanced upward at the mountains that now loomed large before; the ground was starting to slope gently, rocks studding the path before her.

Sounds wafted towards her on the wind; Naga frowned as she listened-- it sounded as if a fight was being waged, not a lightening storm. Even as voices inside her mind tried to convince her that the one who runs away lives to see another day, or something along those lines, Naga quickened her pace. 

*_CRRIIINNNGGG_*

*_CLASH_*

The sound of metal grinding against metal assaulted Naga's ears and still she made her legs quicken their pace as she made her way towards the noise.

Just as the girl started up the crest, the only thing that blocked view of the source of her immense curiosity, a finger of veined light arced towards her. Naga dropped with a barely stifled cry, shielding her head with her hands in a futile gesture against the heated bolt that struck a tree behind her. Sparks flew into her hair as the sapling burst into flame.

Naga raised her head to stare at the unfortunate thing, thinking _that could have been me..._ Just as she started to reason that maybe she might enjoy escaping and living out a long happy life somewhere far away from there, something howled in seeming anguish.

"_NO!!_ "

Naga froze at the raw voice; she willed her legs to stay steady as she crawled to the crest, keeping hidden from any eyes that might be searching.

The smell of blood and ionized air created a mixture that made Naga gag as she finally laid eyes on the scene before her.

Her stomach threatening to let go of her last meal, Aikonaga lifted her eyes to the scene before her.

To one side, a tall figure stood, either in indifference or terror, she couldn't tell. He looked strange in his deep red kimono, white hair blowing around his shoulders. Naga was too far away to see his face, but she turned her head to look in the direction the still figure was staring.

A second shape was crouched over what looked to be as blood soaked heap; Naga clenched her teeth. She had never liked the sight of blood and *that* was no exception. The man took the bloodied thing into his arms; it was a body, she realized. Shoulders shaking, the armored figure drew the limp body against his chest, embracing it even as blood and darker fluids soaked them both.

Suddenly, he threw his head back and a raw scream issued from deep within. 

"_NOoooo_! Not my brother--not _Manten_! NO!!" 

In spite of herself, Naga felt tears burn in the back of her throat. The body seemed to have been split down the middle, organs spilling out in a bloody disarray. Cradling her face in her hands, Naga looked away. _...Oh, gods! What is this butchery? Such pain! Why am I seeing this?!_

A cry made her look up; the blood soaked figure was regaining his feet, a twisted pike suddenly gleaming in his hands; across the clearing stood the white haired man. He stood silently, holding what seemed to be a short staff in his hands.

"_I will avenge my brother_!!" The armored figure's voice was a raw throated howl. Naga's eyes followed him as he strode towards the other, the one who was obviously the murderer.

The armoured man raised his hand as he stood opposite the white haired figure before him. Suddenly the air crackled and a miasma of white-hot energy poured from his out stretched fingers.

Naga gasped, the sound lost in the roar of light, trying to ward against it with upraised arms before her. 

Then everything was silent; Naga risked a glance. The white haired man was standing, staff stretched before him. Naga stared at the crater that stood where ground had been only moments before. 

What is this that I am witnessing? What supernatural beings are these--Youkai?! 

Naga watched the man who somehow had managed to harness the power of the sky recover; she watched as the two seemingly superhuman beings battled.

It seemed that no matter how fiercely the armoured man attacked, the murderer of Manten managed to stand his ground.

Naga flinched as she witnessed the battle that was being waged before her, listening to the crack of each blow. But even she, so removed from it all, could not tell the outcome. She wondered why she still crouched there; her legs felt like stone, her mind was sand.

*_K-KRAK_*

The armoured man let loose another bolt of lightening making his opponent jump back. Naga wondered how long the other would last; would Manten be avenged soon? But then a sword flew into his hands, a huge and impossibly massive thing flecked with blood. 

Did the gods now favor this man?

The skill and speed with which the white haired murderer wielded the wickedly curved weapon made Naga wonder what she was witnessing. _Surely no mortal men could perform like this!_ Naga passed her hand over her eyes, wondering briefly if she was seeing phantoms in her mind.

The red man attacked with a ferocity that made his opponent's abilities seem half hearted; there was no doubt that Naga was witnessing a fight that could only end in bloodied and gruesome death.

Naga's spine curled involuntarily as she saw a swing that almost disemboweled the armoured one. He seemed to be regaining his ground, parrying each blow with his staff; maybe the man would win after all. The white haired man seemed to become enraged as the tables seemed to be turned on him once again. He fought ferociously, but Naga could not see how he would regain the upper hand. _How much longer will he breathe?_

They screamed at eachother, but Naga couldn't make sense of the words that passed between the two. _How much longer can they go on?_

"_YAAAH_!"

*_VNNNN_*

Suddenly a sickening sound split the air; metal through air and something more dense. The white haired one stood, sword raised... it was wet with blood. Naga's eyes shifted to the armoured man. He seemed to freeze for a moment; then he crumpled inward. Blood rained down all round as he fell in a heap, face and armor obscured through the river of his own blood.

Naga turned her face, fighting the wave of sickness that threatened to overcome her. She could smell the blood, like a thick perfume that seemed to coat the air. Then Aikonaga couldn't fight the nausea and for a moment everything blackened. 

__

Oh, gods, oh gods!

When her vision cleared, the white haired man, Manten's killer-- and now the murderer his brother-- was no where to be seen. Naga crouched low, hoping he had not seen her; but after a few minutes it was clear the man had left the two bodies to rot. Naga recoiled; how could he leave the souls to wander, lost in that place, forever?

Sickened, Aikonaga stood and descended towards the bloodied mess, squaring her shoulders; she would help their souls find rest.

AN: I had to improvise to make things fit a little better… Enough gore for you? **o_O **_Sorry_. I could have been alot more graphic, but I'm not _THAT_ sick! **_O** I hope this story isn't too bad!!! Please don't flame me! **_** Anyways, review please!! I have some ideas for a sequel, if anyone is interested --Hiten may _NOT_ be dead!!! -_GASP_- **^_^**

--thanks, K. A.


	2. Forgive Me

Author's Note: Hey, I'm back with another chapter. Been having trouble so both chapter 1 and 2 have been uploaded at the same time **J** Anyways-- serious warning: There Is Much Gruesome Stuff Going On in this chapter!!! BEWARE, you people who don't like gore. I'm not sick minded, I'm just trying to get the seriousness across. **o_O**…

Anyways, hope this is realistic, not drama-istic.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!! Inuyasha don't belong to me

The air stank of blood and filth as Aikonaga's steps brought her closer, her stomach turning inwards on itself. Swallowing bile at the sight of the disemboweled Manten, she tried not to stare._The body might be twisted, but even I can tell its a youkai_

Naga set down her pack, and found a threadbare blanket, fingers fumbling as she ripped it in half. She quickly draped it over the mutilated form; as soon as the cloth came into contact with the cold flesh, bright red started to seep through; Naga turned away. 

_Such a waste of life_.

Trying not to dwell on what she was walking through, she crossed the clearing. The smell seemed to lessen there, but perhaps it was because the body had not lain as long. She was about to turn away when a thought mesmerized her.

As Naga gazed at the body of the man who had fought so fiercely, she wondered if he had known his efforts had amounted to nothing; his opponent had walked away unscathed.

Just as she was about to pull the tattered fabric over his bloodied, bruised face, he groaned. Naga gasped and snatched her hands away. 

Gathering courage, she held her hand before his face and felt his exhalation like a feather of air against her palm. Naga withdrew her hand. How could this man still be alive? 

_What should I do? He's youkai... but he was defending his brother. Can I help him?_ Naga stared at the man; it was as if he was clinging to life by sheer will. Naga mouth settled into a grim line; she couldn't leave him there.

His lips moved soundlessly; Naga fetched her pack, and took out her skin of water. Uncorking it, she splashed water into her hand. The man grimaced as she dribbled a few drops between his cracked lips; he swallowed convulsively. Encouraged, Naga gave a handful of water to the man; his throat moved as he swallowed again. 

Naga rocked back on her heels, trying to decide whether to move him, then decided against it; he looked too heavy for her. Biting her lip, she set about removing his armor. That proved to be a challenge, but Naga managed to most of it. After discarding the breastplate, she took up the torn blanket that had lain unnoticed beside her and soaked a corner in with water and cleaned the blood away from the wound on the left side of his chest. It ran from the top of his head, crossing from right to left, missing both eyes, nose and throat. _ He is lucky to have escaped with it, though it will scar him greatly. But I do not know if everything inside is whole_...Naga's thoughts trailed off as she washed the blood from his face, cleaning the blood away from the gash as best she could, hoping it would not become infected.

Naga briefly wondered at the still pink scars covering his torso; they looked newly healed. She shrugged it off and cleaned the remainder of the crusted blood from his chest; the man groaned once as she poured water directly into the slashed skin. 

The blanket was a bloodied rag by the time she had finished removing all traces of blood from his. The man was still alive; Naga shook her head in amazement as she trickled more water down his throat. A thought came to her she rummaged in her pack for something to bandage the man's wounds with; _what will happen when he wakes? _

Finding the small jar of salve she had bought and a clean length of cloth, she tore it into strips and bandaged the wounds on his chest, arms and face. _Strange... he looks so human_, Naga glanced at the pointed ears as thoughts crowded her mind. She trickled more water down his throat, noting pointed teeth as well, --_to match his ears? Or do they have a purpose?_ Naga tried to picture fangs covered in blood, then shook her head. _Maybe not._..

Turning her attention away, Naga looked up at the sky; it was dusk. _Time passes so quickly_ Naga crouched by her pack, rummaging for something to make a meal of, hearing her stomach protest its empty state. Then she paused; should she make something to eat? Could she risk a fire; how safe was she here? _Can he eat? What could I give him_? Naga's lips tightened as she cursed herself for not thinking of those things before. Then her shoulders relaxed-- muscles Naga didn't remember being so tight-- and her thoughts lost their self reproaching edge. _If there where those watching, I would have had an arrow in my back long before_.

Promising herself she'd bury the body of Maten in the morning, Naga nodded to herself, and went about finding a place for make a fire circle. Before she left the makeshift campsite to search for something with which to start the blaze, Naga gave the unconscious youkai another mouthful of water, checked the bandages and cushioned his head with a makeshift pillow.

As she climbed the hill crest and descended to the nearest line of trees, something pushed at the back of Naga's consciousness. Something about the youkai man seemed out of place-- but what it was about him that bothered her Naga didn't know. She turned the thought over and over in her mind as she gathered fallen bone dry branches. _Something about him just seemed strange; he just looked different-- less dead, maybe. But he _is_ youkai_...everything_ about him is strange_

Reassuring herself, she turned and made her way back to the campsite, noticing how dark the sky had become in the short space of time she had been absent. She made her way down the hillcrest, the armload of wood suddenly heavy. Naga gratefully put the pile down and crouched beside her pack to find her flint chip, glanced over at the youkai-- and stopped. The armor was gone and torn remnants of bandaging lay scattered on the ground... Naga belatedly realized _he is awake-- and gone. But _where_?_

Suddenly a low growl reached her ears; Naga felt herself freeze as she heard rather than saw the youkai approach. A strange scent similar to musk permeated the air. _Behind me-- _kami_! I was so stupid_! She closed her eyes when she felt warm breath stirring the hairs on the back of her neck. Naga's hand brushed something; she looked down. _Ah! My walking stick-- if only I can reach--_! A hand gripped her neck roughly and wrenched her around to face the demon; Naga made a strangled noise in the back of her throat as she felt her air being cut off. 

Golden eyes regarded her coldly as she stared up into the face of death. Naga's lungs burned and she arched her back, trying to twist from his grip. The vice-like hand tightened till it felt as though claws were piercing into her vertebrae.

"Stop fighting me, _whelp_!" A hand connected with a jolting _crack_ against her cheek. Naga's eyes widened slightly, but she ceased her struggle, thinking stupidly _he speaks_? as her dark eyes locked on his face. It was a death mask in the twilight, eyes glowing faintly with strange green-gold animal luminance.

Naga held herself as if frozen, watching his face warily as he continued to stare at her, emotion flashing across his face. 

Then the hand loosened; with a low growl the youkai let go of Naga. She shuddered as his teeth flashed in the growing darkness and he stepped toward her.

_Run! I've got to-- oh, gods!_ Instinctively, Naga turned to bolt, and was half way across the clearing when he grabbed her. Both youkai and girl went down, Naga crying out as her head connected with a sharp stone and his armor dug into her ribs.

The youkai straddled her waist, grasping her head by her long black hair. Naga struggled desperately, though she knew the battle had already been lost. Her defiance was countered with an arm wrenched up behind her back with inhuman strength and Naga half sobbed-gasped as she felt something wrench sickeningly. _Make it quick. Make it _soon_--_

"Yield, damn you!" The youkai growled in her ear.

"No-- I won't submit! _Let me go_!" She panted as the pain in her arm increased.

His breathe hot on the back of her neck, the youkai made a sound-- half snarl, half laugh.

"Let you go? _I_, the great lord Hiten, simply let you _go_?" The snarl-laugh again. "I think not."

Naga groaned as the youkai lord hauled her to her knees before him, squeezing her arm just below the injured joint. _Gods! He is playing with me-- but why_? the still functioning part of her brain was racing as she looked into his face. Lord Hiten's eye clouded over as Naga arched her back in protest. _Ahhhg!--he feels such pleasure at my pain..._ A wave of dizziness washed over her as claws dug into her shoulders.

Naga bit back a scream as something gave with a muffled wet snap. _I won't scream-- I won't _scream_...No-won't-make-noise_!Her thoughts ran together as bile rose in her throat.

"_Scream_-- go ahead, wench! Don't hold it back; _cry for me_," his voice was a harsh whisper.

Naga whimpered as the youkai ground his fist into the torn limb. _I should have never let him live! Gods forgive me-- I'm so sorry I let him live!_

A razor sharp clawtip pierced her flesh at the juncture of shoulder and arm, slashing into arteries. Dark wetness trickled down her kimono as Naga shuddered, mouth pressed into a bloodless line to keep herself silent as she felt blood gush.

The lord didn't even seem to notice, his face frozen in an odd mask.

And then, even as her pain-glazed eyes watched, his body seemed to tremble.

"...Scream, you--"The demon lord's voice cracked. His grip loosened

"_N-no_," Naga struggled weakly against him, though the effort was futile. Her heartbeat was deafeningly loud in her ears. "_Let me… go_."

Naga's eyes widened as his face seemed to crumple inwards on itself.

Then she was free; the iron grip that had held her was gone. Without the support, Naga crumpled to the ground, landing on her mangled arm.

_I'm going.... I'm dying..._ Naga's eyes felt leaden suddenly. 

As blood pooled under her, she felt her body become lax.

_So soon...so..._ A soft sob escaping her lips, Naga lay still, her dark eyes no longer seeing.

The End

(…_Or Maybe Not)_

Author's Note: Eeek! Much blood. **__** But keep in mind, Hiten is a bad guy-- youkai, which means demon (in case you don't remember). Hope it was real **^__O**. There may be more chapters yet-- DID Naga die? What was going through Hiten's mind? What will become of them? **^__^**

You want more? Less? Nothing at all? Review and tell me!!!!!!


	3. Maten's Eyes

Author's Notes: Hey! Special thanks to Kitty!-- But I can't take all the credit for writing the only thunder bros fic-- there are at least three others out there, but mine is the only multi chaptered. J But yes, this may turn into a romance ^__O a bit further into the story-- though it may not be what you expect! I don't like predictable plots at all-- though I do like to tease people with the possibilities!!!

Hiten had remembered the sensations as he had lain there drifting in and out of consciousness, hazed by the pain. A hand pressed a cool cloth to his aching face-- Maten, his brother? Come to take care of him? ...No, not Maten, he realized. Maten... dead? He struggled to free himself of his pain-induced stupor. Then he remembered-- dead; Maten was _dead_. Hiten groaned as images flooded his mind; then the cool hands were there again, soothing him and he allowed himself to drift again.... _I wasn't strong enough_.

Muscles burned and ached, a familiar pain; he saw strange flashes in his half conscious mind; it was what mortals would refer to as 'dreaming.' But youkai didn't 'dream'; no, Hiten would not put that pleasant association to those horror-filled scenes that filled his sleeping world. Even there the knowledge chased him, that his one and only brother, twin of his soul, was gone-- and all because of *his* weakness. At least in his dreams, he was free to grieve his loss-- _cry_, even. _I failed him-- I failed Maten_

Blackness washed over him and gave him peace for a time, as his body healed itself. So he knew nothing and remembered nothing.

But when Hiten had awakened... _I ache as though I was the one who received Maten's fatal wound... Why?_ Youkai didn't have emotions-- they didn't cry or laugh, smile and grin; it was human, beneath powerful youkai like himself. It was a sign of weakness-- human weakness. And yet... and yet his heart bled and his eyes watered.

As a one pain healed and faded, another began to grow inside Hiten. His muscles, renewed by his sleep, became supple and relaxed even as his soul felt old and battered within.

Sensation slowly crept back into his body, and with it, awareness. His hair stirred in a slight breeze, fluttering around his face... he felt rocks digging into his back-- he realized he was laying as he had fallen... only he felt lighter, armor- and shirt-less. And those hands? The air reeked... Hiten tried to recall that smell, then stiffened: _human_. The air stank of it-- his body, too. _A human has been here?!_

Hiten's eyes snapped open, partially obscured by something across his vision, to see his torso covered in blood incrusted bandages. The youkai's eyes quickly surveyed his surroundings; no one there... but not far away. He bolted upright, muscles protesting slightly at the sudden movement, and tore the offending things from himself; underneath the skin was smooth and devoid of blemish-- not even a bruise remained of wounds that would have been fatal to a mortal.

Nostrils flaring slightly, he scented the human-- only one-- not far away. The youkai felt a growl rumbling in his chest as he looked blackley at the pack lying near him. _Meddling mortal whelps! Does this cursed creature want me to grant them a _wish_ or some idiot thing?!_ He rose to his feet, yellow eyes smoldering. _I'll grant this one a wish! A *death* wish_

The human was returning, he could smell it. The youkai melted into the lengthening shadows, ears sensing the faint whisper of clothing and shoes crunching through grass. A growl rumbled in his throat as he pictured the human's look of stupid surprise when he appeared So simple; how pathetic. They are blind and deaf to the world with those stubs of flesh they call ears and nose! Prey animals, not even worth the effort!

Hiten's eyes caught sight of a shape moving in the dusk, carrying-- by the smell- firewood in its arms. A small form... a pup? A flicker of doubt flashed in his mind _But the insolence! He does not deserve to have the pleasure of breathing-- why should I show weakness? Is the great lord Hiten, the god of thunder, afraid_? The whisper in his mind stoked the coals of his pride and fury. With burning eyes reflecting the fire within, he watched as the creature crouched by the pack, dropping the sticks; he glared hotly at back turned to him. _Idiot beast! Does he not realize his 'patient' is gone?_

Then the human glanced over to the spot where the youkai had lain and finally comprehended his peril; Hiten let loose a low rumble as instinct took over; he was predator, the human his frightened prey. The human must have realized it too; he was still frozen like a startled rabbit. As Hiten stalked his quarry, he saw a hand reach out for the heavy walking stick lying by the pack; he sprung, muscles moving with inhuman grace as he neared the doomed human. 

The idiot's hand came into contact with the stick, but Hiten was faster; he reached down and grabbed the pup by the scruff and yanked him around, hearing the strangled whimper, all the better to relish the fear in his face...

And was shocked. _What?! A woman_!

Then the startled second was shattered as she began to struggle, trying to wriggle like a worm from his grip, fighting him for air with another cry. _She deserves death, the stupid wench! Daring to rebel against a great youkai lord? It will not happen again_!

"Stop fighting me, whelp!" Almost half-heartedly, he cuffed her across the face, hearing it connect with a sharp slap; she fell quiet, stunned for a moment.

And then, something pulled at Hiten. The woman, small and trembling before him as she should, gazed up at him through a sheen of tears. Suddenly, he remembered Maten; she reminded him of _Maten_. _...Maten. She looks nothing like him_! Bitter voices goaded him to hurt her again... _The eyes... Maten's eyes_. 

The youkai loosed his grip on her with a snarl of annoyance at his own sentimentality. The human female held herself rigidly, eyes white as they locked on his face. 

The youkai stepped forward, lip twitching as he looked down on the girl. Then his sneer turned to a look of fury as the stupid creature bolted like a scared animal. All sentiment vanished from Hiten's mind as the role of predator/prey was again resumed.

She had had a good half-second start when she surprised him, but human physicality was no match for his youkai strength. Within a few body lengths Hiten was on her heels _The chase! I pursue!_

They went down in a tangle of limbs as the youkai lord grabbed her and slammed her down with his weight to the rocky ground. The female's head struck a rock as she fell; Hiten felt the human go limp from a moment at the sudden pain and confusion. Straddling her back, pinning her, Hiten grabbed a handful of the thick black hair that crowned her head, he hauled her head upwards even as she fought back. He yanked her failing arm up and behind, feeling something pop as he forgot his strength and dislocated the shoulder. _Not yet, she must last a little while longer! But soon_..

"Yield, damn you!" His voice sounded raspy even to his own ears as he growled at the frightened girl.

Voice just as ragged, she screamed "No!-- I won't submit!" Her breath came in ragged pants. "Let me go!"

Hiten could not hold back his mirth at the insolent creature's bold orders. _What does she think she is? A _youkai_? I must teach this thing its manners!_

"Let you go? _I_, the great lord Hiten, simply let you _go_?" He threw his head back and laughed again. With a yank, he hauled her to her knees.

"I think _not_."

His grip tightened as he smelled the fear radiating from her. _Finally she finds the proper way to address her lord. Perhaps she should be taught just how much she should fear me?_ Anger poured out of him as he tortured her injured limb, twisting and raking it with his claws, relishing the noises of suffering that he wrenched from her. _Ah... the noises she makes... so stirring to my blood_. He was playing her fear like an instrument. Hiten wanted to hear more of her sweet suffering.

His fingers probed the wounds, trying to elicit more cries; nothing. With a slight frown, he gripped her arm and rotated his wrist in a quick and precise movement. The bone made a satisfying wet noise as it broke like a dry twig under his powerful hands.

Hiten buried his face in her hair, mouth next to her ear; more-- he wanted a scream.

"Scream-- go ahead, wench! Don't hold it back; cry for me."

Blood lust mounted as he listened to her strangled whimpers-- his fist found the fracture; in morbid delight he ground his fist into the bruising skin. His other hand stroked her arm; his claw snagging on her flesh.

And then there was wetness covering his hands; he looked down in surprise.

Red...blood_. She bleeds as red as, as-- _Images flashed through his head; Maten laying mutilated and still before him; Hiten's hands before his face, _covered with Maten's blood_--

A sick feeling washed over him; his lips moved, but his ears heard nothing as the images kept filling his mind.

The girl moved beneath his hands... his hands.

With a strangled noise, Hiten let go of the girl.

Tears came to his eyes and a wild sob escaped his lips.

_Maten... Maten!_

The human slipped quietly to the ground and lay still.

_So much like Maten... I can't kill her_ Shaking hands covered his face, heedless of the sticky redness coating them. 

A heart Hiten didn't know he had throbbed as he grieved his brother's death...

_He's gone... My brother... He's gone_

And so would the girl, he finally remembered as he looked up. She lay in a pool of her own life, slowly draining from her veins into the earth beneath her. 

... And, Hiten realized, he was not willing to let the human go.

Author's Note: I wanted to explain here that Hiten is a *youkai* here, not a superpowered human! He IS cruel, morbid, sick and basically evil. But that doesn't mean he is limited by the youkai identity-- he is also a man and has a soul (I know that sounds confusing!!!) 

Tune in again next time for the continuing adventures!


	4. Crippled Slave

Author's Note: ACK! Sorry! This is a really short chapter but I have to work five days a week and I am TIRED!!! But I will keep trying! Also, it kinda rankles me that only one person reviewed!!! L But hey-- it was an awesome review; much better than ten bad ones!!  


A rough jolt brought Naga back to consciousness._Wha_--? She opened her eyes, only to see nothing but darkness; for a moment she wondered if she had gone blind. Then her eyes adjusted and she saw that there was no light; it was night. Something pressed into her side... a wall. _I'm dead... why is it so dark_?

Then pain hit her like a physical force; suddenly all feeling returned _no, not dead. 'hurts too much._ Lying on a narrow mat, Naga groaned and fought not to be sick.

A shadow moved and became a man... no, youkai. 

Heart pounding so loud she knew the creature could hear it, Naga pressed herself against the wall, knowing there was no escape.

Something flickered and then she squinted as light flashed around her; a large candle.

"You are awake," the youkai cleared his throat. The flickering light must be playing tricks, because she could have sworn she'd seen a look of embarrassment in the youkai's face.

Naga opened her mouth to speak but heard only air whistling through her lungs.

The lord's mouth twitched as he watched Naga try again, with a half perplexed, half fearful look on her face.

"Damaged, I see. Maybe permanently. Either way there will be less insolence from your mouth." He crossed his arms, eyes reflecting in the light as his voice rumbled from his throat.

Naga stared at him, fear lurking in her expression; how much longer would she live? Did he plan to torture her until the novelty bored him and he snapped her neck? Wishing she could speak, Naga curled herself inward, hoping to cushion her throbbing arm from any more pain should he decide to toy with her.

The youkai must have smelled her fear; for a moment he seemed to swell as animal instinct tried to surface, then the wild look subsided. He stepped forward, hands poised in front of him.

Naga flinched, wished she could scream; just as she prepared herself for pain, hands somewhat gentle gripped her shoulders and pushed her back to lie flat on the small mat.

"The break; it will be set" the youkai said lowly. When she winced away from his touch, he countered with a menacing "_Lie still_, damn whelp. I have no use for crippled slaves!"

A strong arm pinned her firmly; as fingers probed the break, Naga tried to will away the pain, teeth gritted. _Slave? What does he mean by_---!!

Grabbing her injured arm by the wrist, the youkai gave a sharp jerk; Naga's mouth opened in a silent scream and there was a sickening noise as the bones settled back together, raw nerves grinding. Back arching, she dug her nails into the first thing she found-- his bare arm._Oh--my--gods! Kami!_

Naga slumped in a boneless heap back onto the mat, tears running of their own accord down her face. She stared up at the not-man through them, eyes accusing him. You_. You did this to me..._

He bared his teeth at her look. "Am I to apologize to _you_, girl? The lord Hiten needs no-ones forgiveness." Hiten glanced down at his biceps; blood trickled sluggishly from gouges. 

To Naga's dismay, the youkai proceeded to bind her arm, though he did it roughly.

After handing a wetted cloth and a bowl to her to "wipe the filth away," the lord stalked out of the cramped room and closed the screen behind him.

Naga complied with the youkai's wishes, not because he ordered her to, but because both she and he knew it was necessary. She drank the remaining water in the bowl, though it was bloody and dirty and felt her thirst leave.

In the next few days she lay in that dark and musty space, not caring of the hours that passed as she slept. Her stomach twisted in on itself at the thought of food; lord Hiten rarely brought her water and when on the rare occasion he remembered food, it was always meat-- _raw_ meat. Naga managed to gag the bloody flesh down; she suspected the youkai didn't understand the human need for more than raw meat. 

Her voice had not returned; Naga had finally concluded that the youkai had crushed her throat. She had accepted it with no tears, only a grimace on her face as she resolved herself to her injury. _No more laughter, or singing, or words. How can I defeat that? How can I communicate with that… _demon_? Kami!_

Author's Note: Erk. Okay… can you say writer's block? Yep. Pretty pathetic after not writing for so long **o__O **But you try and come up with these complex things and how they fit into the story!!!!! Juts kidding! **^__O **I will try to get more cranked out in the next few days!!! And seriously, tell me what you would like to see!!! Maybe you can think of something I can't!!! You never know!!

Thanks to kitty for the review, KA


	5. What I Am

Author's Note: Hey! Its back! I'm really going to try to finish this for once! It may take a while, cuz this story is purely out of my imagination, but hey! **^__^ **I hope Naga ain't too sappy of a character; I hate it when people make up their own characters to pair off with a series character and end up with a major Mary-sue, a.k.a. the absolutely perfect, good at everything character….**o__O** Anyways… Hope this isn't too sappy-- if it is, please say somethin! I'm trying to be realistic here, but still…

Naga felt anger trembling her hands as she swept the stiff broom across the stones. It boiled in her mind like sugar, burning into flesh; a slave. _And I can't even tell him how much I loathe his face_.

Ankles rubbed raw by the metal bracelets that encased her legs, Naga drug the stubborn thing along the floor with her injured limb braced against her body, brain oozing like oil within her head. How many days had she been there-- or weeks? And when she had had enough, there was nowhere to go; at every attempt she had made to escape _he_ had been there. The farthest she had ever gotten was the entrance to his demented and beautiful palace; Lord Hiten had somehow managed to foresee her attempts.

And that was why she now sported the deceptively innocent metal anklets; Naga suspected he had somehow cursed the delicately wrought things. He had forced them on her, finally growing tired of her antics; _the chase_, he said, _was no longer amusing_. Every time she ran, the youkai had but to call 'come' and her traitorous legs would lead her back to him. 

He was gone at the moment, probably teaching a lesson to some idiot lesser demons for daring to lay eyes on his lands or harassing the poor humans who had the unfortunate luck to wander into his territory. Idly, Naga wished that a peasant would pitchfork him in the back as she recalled his cruel remarks from the night before.

The memory was still fresh in her mind; he had called her to serve his evening feast and she had accidentally tipped over his goblet. The lord had repaid her clumsiness with a stinging slap and sharper words. When satisfied with the bruises he raised on her face, he subsided and had acted in an almost benevolent demeanor. 

Naga pressed her lips together, eyes still stinging from his words; "A pity you cannot speak; a song at this moment would have been desirable," he paused for a moment to look at her, then continued in a musing voice laced with cruelty. "... But no matter. I find that I would rather endure the braying of an ass... than hear your voice blaspheming my name again."

And with that, the youkai lord proceeded to tear ravenously into the carcass of what Naga hoped wasn't a human corpse.

Now, as she threw down the broom and stalked towards the doors, she wondered why she was bothering to play his game. _Why do I continue to defy him to his face and then bow and polish the tiles_?

Footsteps echoing in the vaulted hall, Naga headed to the massive doorway set in the gleaming walls. Glancing around her furtively, she ran for the door. _Not here to watch me. Or call me back. I'm not his pet_!

She yanked open the door and stepped through. Or tried to.

*_BAM_*

It was like hitting a wall; Naga felt her body connect with the invisible force and fell away from it_. Kami! He cursed the door_! Dropping her head into her hands, she fought back a sob of frustration. There was no escape; and, Naga finally admitted to herself, even if she did make it past the door and manicured gardens that seemed so weirdly out of place; where would she run? _He will find me; if only just to see the look on my face. He _thrives_ on my suffering!_

Aikonaga climbed to her feet, hugging her throbbing arm close. She slammed her palm into the invisible wall, fighting down the sudden claustrophobia. _I am so useless; so _powerless!_ I feel like the weak, puny mortal being Lord Hiten so despises_.

Mouth uttering salty words, the human turned on her heel and stalked in the opposite direction. And as she did, a traitorous voice claimed her attention. …_Why not_?

Why not give in to him; how hard would it be? Just to let go and become the obedient slave the lord wanted. There would be so much less pain, the wheedling little thing said.

Naga found herself at the door to her sleeping room-- more like closet. Suddenly, she felt tired; old, aching and so very, very tired. Wearily, the human began removing her outer robes. _That voice... wishful thinking. Maybe he put a curse on my ears... _And then Naga was asleep, eyes shut even before she thought to blow out the small lamp that lit her sleeping space.

Lord Hiten sat silently in the great hall, face immobile except for the yellow eyes that followed his servant's every move. So quiet… Not as she once was, full of defiance…

Metal clinked together as the human set down a platter on which wetly glistening meat was arranged, eyes properly down cast. The youkai leaned his arm on the low table edge, thoughtfully drawing a claw along its surface as he wondered at the change in his slave. It had been a month and a half since he had drug her home, hanging limply from his arms and half dead. And when she had healed sufficiently enough to earn her keep; Hiten felt a smile pull at the corner of his mouth. _The fastest transformation yet from insolent, obdurate wretch to broken spirited, soulless slave yet_.

Hiten leaned forward and selected a particularly bloody chunk of flesh and brought it to his lips, relishing the rich and metallic smell that permeated it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl standing as if awaiting an order; he ignored her. _Let her wonder_.

It was a kind of game to him, to see which would break first; sometimes it ended quickly, and at other times, it stretched into hours. But tonight, he was in no such mood; he merely motioned her over to pour him more drink and then dismissed her. _So silent, now… At times, I almost wish I hadn't crushed her throat._

For a moment he lingered on the thought, but then Hiten shrugged the notion off, dismissing it with a twitch; why should he feel shame for his actions? Indignation boiled hot in his veins. _I am what I am. I need no excuses and nor need explain myself_… But yet I-- 

The lord looked up finally, eyes meeting those of his slave; for a minute the youkai seemed on the verge of speaking. Then, with a disgusted look on his face, the not-man turned away.  Throwing down his cup, the youkai stood and stalked out of the room, not noticing the expression in his slave's eyes. _I would have words with you_…

Naga's eyes followed her master's retreating form, lips moving soundlessly. _I am invisible_.

Author's Note: And… that's it until the next chapter! **o__O** Hope you liked it! I'm starting to kinda build on the whole tension between the two here… hope it sounds plausible and not too OOC…. Anyways, thanks for all the lovely reviews! 

Until next time, KA 

(BTW—It'd be nice of people would give me feedback here about what they like/didn't like—Don't be shy!!!)


	6. Beautiful Stranger

Author's Note: Yes!!! Another chapter-- though short, it is still another chapter for my faithful reviewers!!! Hope its not to strange or sappy-- Enjoy!

The hall stood vast and silent, its walls stretching upwards into the darkness. Then footsteps sounded on the stones; a lone figure storming the lonely way. He swept an arm across a low table resting in a shadowed corner, sending priceless metal ringing against the stone floor with surprising force. A curse echoed through the din and the shape moved on down the hall, hard-soled feet sending out angry noise.

A moment later, a set of doors swung inward almost timidly, light spilling out around the small, slender figure of a woman servant gazing after the retreating figure now merely a shadow amongst the shadows in the dusk darkened corridor.

The man glanced back, as if sensing the gaze; for a moment he gazed upon the light bathed figure, a strange look passing over his face. Then his smooth features twisted into a sneer and he whirled, fading into the distance towards some other part of the castle.

And silence returned, once again, to blanket the hall in darkness.

Awareness came suddenly, as it always did, to Hiten. Fighting the instinct to bolt out of the bed, the youkai rolled over, passing a hand over his sand filled eyes. Sweat soaked sheets were pushed down around his feet, twisted and mangled by his claws. It had been another sleepless night; but when _wasn't_ it, Hiten asked himself grimly. When he had not been awake he had been dreaming, no-- having _visions_. Visions of her, the human whelp; Hiten wondered what the dreams trying to tell him. _Something must be done with her, but _what?_ She may yet be the undoing of me… Though I do not see _how.

Muscles moving with un human grace, Hiten rose from the tangled mess that was his bed and walked silently across the large room. He caught a glance of himself in the mirrored glass that lined a heavily guilded dragon-shaped frame. Though youkai were impervious to most human conditions, Hiten looked disheveled and chaotic, his innermost kimono creased and stained, hair half freed from its tight braid. 

After taking a moment to straighten his appearance, he called his only slave to him, thinking _A small test for my _loyal_ servant; to see if that humility and bowing and scraping is all a façade_.

Naga hurried down the hall, sliding the last of the dull brass pins into her upswept black hair and smoothing the front of her dark kimono. The youkai lord had summoned her from a dead sleep; she had rubbed the sleep from her eyes in the predawn darkness and leapt to do her master's bidding. _ I wonder why he has called me so early-- and he has never commanded me to attend him in his innermost chamber…_ Naga tried not to dwell on the reasons her mind made to answer her thoughts.

She paused at the massive red painted doors; even as she felt her inner self shrinking away, her hands reached out and rapped on the door two times. Naga stepped back and held her breath, waiting for the doors to swing inward, with head slightly bowed in anticipation…

For a handful of heartbeats, silence almost tangible filled the room.

And then the doors swung inward by themselves as they always did; Naga stepped into the room, eyes scanning the large area for her master's shape. _He is not here… Is this a tra--_

Naga's spine tingled as she sensed eyes upon her, almost boring into the back of her head. Forcing herself to turn slowly, she faced her master. And felt as if her eyeballs would fall onto the floor as she gaped.

A man stood silently there, framed by the two massive doors whose color echoed that of his eyes. Waved blue-black hair curled down past his gold-toned shoulders, reaching to the small of the man's back, far longer than Naga's own hair. A slightly crumpled kimono hung from his frame, showing rather than hiding the amazing musculature beneath. Naga felt her pulse freeze as she stared at the stranger. _Who? --how? He couldn't be… Not this… _man??

With a start, Naga realized the otherworldly looking man _was no man_; it was her own master, the _youkai_ lord Hiten.

Naga felt her lips tremble, trying to find words to recover herself with before she remembered she had none. Suddenly ashamed, she bowed her head low, face burning and afraid to look in his eyes.

Author's Note: **^__^** Heh… Yep, I loved the closing scene!! Can't you just picture it?** o__O** Er… anyways, thanks for all the great reviews!!! Keep them coming as I try to keep cranking the chapters out-- your reviews may make things go even faster-- wow. 

--K.A.


	7. Insolent Slave

Author's Note: Hey! Another chapter! Yes! I'm cranking em out fairly quickly here **^__O** Keep all those reviews coming, they can only make things go faster!

Lord Hiten stood in the middle of the floor, hands clenched as he waited for his servant to appear. Angrily he ground his teeth as the minutes passed by; he made a promise to himself to punish the whelp later for her insolence. It must have been a full quarter hour before he heard a curt knock at the doors; the youkai smiled slightly as he made no move to open the doors, only crossed the floor to stand to one side of them.

After a few moments, he let the red doors part to reveal the girl; she had the audacity to stand there and look innocent with head bowed respectfully. She stepped into the room and walked right past him; a growl rumbling in his throat, the youkai stepped forward with claws extended. 

Then the human turned around, eyes round and mouth in a silent 'oh!' as she stared at him.

For a minute, the lord wondered what game she was playing. Then he caught the full impact of her expression; in her eyes, there was no recognition of him. _What stupid creature is _this?!

For a handful of seconds, the two stood silently. Then the slave's expression changed and recognition crept over her white features, eyes finally taking him in. Her mouth moved silently; the youkai frowned at the reflex. _Idiot whelp; does she not know she is without a voice? Or has she forgotten?_

Even as the scornful thought crossed his mind, her face reddened and a look of embarrassment came over her. As Hiten closed the distance between them, she hid her face, bowing with hands clasped tightly together.

Hiten let her stare at his unshod feet for a moment, mind trying to decide which form of punishment he thought most fitting. _Ah... so many ways to discipline her. A pity she would not last more than a few lessons. Humans are much too fragile for those kinds of things. Still_...

Reaching down, the youkai dug his fingers into the slave's hair, enjoying her rasping attempt at speech and the twitch in her shoulders as his claws dung into her tender scalp. Slowly, he brought her head up so that she was face to face with Hiten. _Yes, let her see and fear her lord. She is the human refuse that I, in a bought of feeble-mindedness, let live._

A small smile curling the corners of Hiten's mouth, he grasped her chin between thumb and forefinger, tilting her face up to him.

"You are late. What do you have to say for yourself?" Lightly, he shook her. "No answer, my insolent slave? Do you enjoy pain; do you _want_ to be punished?" He let his eye bore into her own, relishing the way she cringed in his grip. 

Hiten slid his hand from her hair down to grasp the back of her neck, hoping to elicit a response. After a moment, he saw the old defiance in her dark eyes; Hiten's mind leapt in anticipation of a struggle. _Just like old times; bone snapping. Biting and clawing... ! Its been far too long_.

But then, as quick the fire had sparked, it faded till Hiten wondered is it had really been there at all. He sneered as she went limp like a sodden rag against him, eyes down cast in deference. _Maybe the little thing's spirit has been broken after all... All that long while ago_… _When Maten…_

The lord felt his blood lust fading rapidly at the thought, leaving a bad after taste in his mouth. He had been high on the slave's fear and now the feeling ebbed.

The woman/girl lifted her eyes to his once more and he was struck again by the sudden force of them. And, as memory washed over him, he felt his grip weaken as it had before. _Damn her eyes_...

For what seemed like eternity, Naga had thought her life was about to end. She'd come so far and yet, now... Just as Naga felt it could last no longer; the youkai's grip loosened around her neck. Her eyes flew his face, wondering why he was behaving so... His face became strangely slack and expressionless. Then her lord released his grip entirely.

Keeping a neutral expression, Naga swallowed, hands shaking slightly as she watched him exit the room, leaving her alone in his room. Naga looked around the unfamiliar room, wondering what he had planned for her. _Is he going to leave me to stand here? For how long? Or is he trying to decide in which way he most desires to punish-_-

*_Crash_*

A door flew open and the youkai strode through, clad in his usual gray pants, but otherwise naked. Naga stood still, head held stiff as she tried to calm her nerves; she could not read his expression, but knew what he must be thinking.

Lord Hiten raised his hand, causing Naga to flinch slightly. He threw a small black object at her; with a slight fumble, she managed to catch it. Turning it over, she realized it was a comb; with a frown she met the youkai's eyes.

"Have you never seen a comb, whelp? Or do your mortal kind use their own greasy fingers," Hiten sneered at her expression. Then he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her forward. " You're mute, not _deaf_. Well?"

Swallowing an angry retort Naga knew she could never voice, she moved to stand behind him with the comb in hand. Naga reached out and grasped a handful of his hair, lifted the comb and proceeded to drag the smooth teeth through the dark mass. 

The youkai remained silent as the sounds of bone and wood smoothing through hair reached Naga's ears. It surprised her how thick and silken it was, not coarse and stringy like she might have expected. Under her deft hands, her lord's muscles seemed to relax as she worked the comb through the dark thick mass. _How strangely _aesthetic_ it is… I would never have thought this could be so relaxing…._

When Naga had worked out all the illusory tangles - how could there be in such hair? - she stood on the tips of her toes, drawing her fingers along the crown of her lord's head, smoothing the hair back from his face. After drawing the hair into a handful at the base of his neck, Naga divided it into three parts and began to braid it.

It was such an easy, yet time-consuming task; Naga's hands moved smoothly among the ink black strands as her mind drifted. The youkai stood ramrod straight, never moving an inch though Naga sensed the ever-present tension had left him. Naga finished the long whip like braid and used a bit of hair to finish it off in a knot; when she released it from her fingers, it lay straight against his bare shoulders down to his waist. 

Naga did not know she had been staring at her master's nakedness until the youkai turned to face her; with a start, she pulled her eyes from him, holding the comb before her. For a minute Hiten stared at her, then at his finished hair, walking over to the strange glass on the wall.

For a moment he made the pretence of staring at his reflection. "It will suffice." The youkai turned his back on her pulling a robe around his shoulders and securing it with a sash. "You may go."

Author's Note: YES! Its chapter **7** (cheers wildly and hops around) Ankoku and all readers: don't worry-- Naga will soon get her feistiness back **^__O** Just keep reading!!! I'm also starting to do a leetle romance type stuff, if you can't tell. Hope you like!

--K.A.


	8. The Fan Website!

Author's Note: _Hey! Big thanks to all you guys who are reviewing!! The more reviews, the less writer's block! And yes, WB would be a really bad thing at this point in the story!!!_

While I am writing the next chapters, here is a little something for all you fans J ! I'm creating a little site with pictures on Hiten and Aikonaga-- some of which are scanned from the manga and a couple that I drew. Just go and look; you won't be disappointed! I swear!

Go to___ Geocities.com/eyes_of_maten ___to see!

Special thanks to:

Kitty, for the very first review!

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Rachel, for correcting my mistakes! **^__^**

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Yasumi, for the wonderful review! **^__^**

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Sess's Gal, for letting me know that other people are thinking of Hiten, too! **O__^** (hope it goes well)

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Shun'u, for some very very encouraging words! **^__^**

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Enajii, for not flaming the whole Inuyasha-is-a-murderer thing! **o__O**

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Alice, for saying all those nice positive things about the story! **^__^**

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Ankoku, for not one but _two_ awesome reviews!!! (see-- _she_ reviews more than once!!!) **^__O**

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Nightterror, for giving a review every author wants to read-- what you thought, what you liked etc!!! ***^__^***


	9. Almost Honest

Author's Note: **SORRRY**!!! I was so burnt out (meaning having 2 jobs and then going back to school…. :P) But I will definitely finish this story!! You must make feel… guilty. Yes, guilty. Or else I will never finish!! Anyways…. I would love to feature people's art on the EOM site!!! J So go ahead and mail me yer art! …Heh. You people cracked me up with those reviews… and I'm sorry I made you cry, Meru. **o__O** And to those who have me on their fave lists… I am very flattered J … Anyways, enough of my 'I'd like to thank the media… and mom and dad…' stuff… on with the story!!!

As the doors swung silently closed, Hiten absently touched toyed with the end of his braid. _Strange... that girl. One minute so afraid and feeble looking, and the next.._. The youkai twitched his shoulders as if shaking off all the emotions that seemed to hover around him like a thick cloud.

Hiten moved across the floor to the large iron-banded wood cabinet that stood against one wall; the doors swung open to reveal his armor hanging within, the light glinting off the glistening gold scales of the breastplate.

Letting the robe drop from his broad shoulders, Hiten stepped forward. Without a pause, the youkai proceeded to dress himself. With practiced hands, he slid the body armor into place, securing it in place with the silk ribbons. After a moment of testing his work, a practice he had made habit, the youkai turned towards the doors, which were already parting to let their master through.

Without a backward glance, lord Hiten stepped out of the room and into the corridor.

Hands still trembling, Naga walked the halls to the servant's quarters, her daily routine of work looming over the human slave's head. But at that moment, laboring the day away was not at the front of her mind. A much more complex and more -interesting- issue had crowded out all the other thoughts vying for the girl's attention. _It is as if he were two different... _men_… all in one body. Sometimes my lord can be so cruel and inhuman and... but at others, he is almost..._

But Naga still felt the sting of his claws, the bruises of his hands; no, he was still youkai-- though sometimes he behaved almost humanely. Her hands tightened involuntarily on the short handle of the broom she carried as she recalled his words. _He will always show his true nature... He does not hide his brutality under a silken veneer like some do... in a way he is almost-_- Naga found herself grimacing at the thought. _He is almost _honest.

As Naga swept the hall, turning the thought over in her mind, she wondered at the twisted notion. To think of her youkai master as anything so _honest_; suddenly Naga wondered paranoidly, was he some how in her head? Could he see her thoughts? In a fearful moment, she glanced over her shoulder. _But how could he know such a thing? He is not a god... Maybe. Or maybe I am too superstitious..._

After a moment of reassuring herself, Naga drug the bristles of the broom over the smooth stones once more, oblivious to the shape that suddenly parted from a shadowy corner, silently exiting the hall.

Wind whistling past his sharply pointed ears, the youkai lord Hiten flew through the sky on his wheels of fire. In his hands rested his wickedly curved pike, gleaming in the sun light and poised to confront any who dared to crossed the youkai's path. 

Hiten put his face to the sun, sharp ears and nose taking in all around him and keeping his mind off of the things that no longer surrounded him. 

He had escaped, as he always did when things bored --or overwhelmed-- him. The last few days still trailed in his thoughts doggedly, always just at the edge of his mind. _That place has suffocated my senses; I wish I had come away sooner... But there is always something that keeps me..._

As the youkai's eyes traveled over the land passing under his feet, thoughts of the past few days filled his mind. Ever since that day when he had had that insufferable slave first braid his hair, he had allowed her to continue; it was now part of his daily routine. But only for the convenience, the youkai frowned at himself; besides, the little mortal whelp could always use a verbal lashing. As many as Hiten had given her in the past days, he was starting to wonder if she might be one of those humans who took some twisted pleasure in pain... they were the kind that often became the human henchmen of lords such as himself. _And concubines, I have heard... What sick youkai entertain such vices, I do not know... And the offspring, if allowed... unimpressive at best..._

Again that girl invaded his thoughts even as he tried to put the traitorous notions away from himself; he found himself imagining a hanyou with her eyes and his-- Hiten shook himself mentally. _I am affected by the moons, I think... At any other time, my mind would never conjure such notions..._

He was referring to his kind's time of joining, an instinct that drove both female and male youkai to procreate. It was the price of the youkai' animal strength; along with it came animal desire. Though the desire for a mate was far and few between for many of his kind, it was rare that any could, or would, deny themselves their inbred craving.

_But _this_ lord is made of stronger stuff... No, I will never take a mate, for however brief a time... I have never understood the reason... And I certainly do not want the cure._

For a few moments, the youkai mulled the words over in his mind, as a shape made itself known in the distance. And then Hiten forgot his thoughts as he descended towards the fortress that was his sometimes rival and sometimes ally's stronghold. Perhaps there he might talk of war and things only his own could properly enjoy. And perhaps for a time he might forget a certain problem that, while in body was far away, seemed to hound him even there.

Dah-dum!! Sorry, I know its short… but more to come!! J Just keep them reviews comin!! Yay! 

A side note: I keep on seeing all these stories about how the youkai have the whole 'urge' dealie… or whatever it is… but I will tell you right now, I will skirt around this issue and try not to be gross about it (no '..and suddenly the randy youkai jumped upon the poor helpless young human virgin and ravished her without mercy' type stuff)


	10. The Palace

Author's Note: Okay! Yet another chapter for you peeple… hope you like! Thanks again for all the *sniff* touching reviews!

Naga walked the length of the hall, listening to her footsteps echoing in the emptiness; he had been gone so long, her master. As the days had passed, slow and with a silence that was deafening, she had begun to wonder if the youkai would return. _Perhaps he is dead… But how could he die? I saw the mortal wounds-- but he is immortal… isn't he_? 

She had seen him that day, watched her master fade away into the horizon till he became but a speck in a vast expanse of blue. For a minute the slave had been mystified; her lord had not said one word to her that day and yet he had seemed to burn strangely, eyes flickering like flame. _He is angry with me… Maybe he seeks to punish me. But why in this way_?

At first, Naga had been afraid to venture from the rooms she knew; but as the days passed her fear had dulled. She had begun to roam more freely about the youkai's domain. In all the young slave's life, she had never seen such exotic and strange things; there were foreign drawings made of paint on the walls, razor sharp weapons decorated the halls; some still retained traces of old blood. Naga had paused when she had seen them, wondering if _he_ had ever used them.

There were so many rooms-- too many for the human to count; they were narrow, wide, oblong and square, all with high, drapery hung ceilings. It had taken Naga a fistful of days to fully explore them; each and very single space was filled with artifacts and intrigues from so many different origins that only the master himself could know what it all meant. 

But after the first day or so of discovery, Naga had come upon a seemingly deserted place-- it was the inner most heart that she found. Dust coated all horizontal surfaces, what little metal still clung to the walls was tarnished and marred with age. As she had gone deeper, signs of decay were increasingly notable-- Naga knew they had not been touched in years-- maybe decades. _What strange worlds has my master traveled too? Surely there is nothing like these things on the earth… And it is all so old… As if the lord hasn't touched them for so long… Why_? _He seems to have forgotten it all_.

After five days, she had grown tired of her discoveries; the origins of the objects and curios that peppered the halls had become too intricate for any explanation that Naga could conjure. She knew that when the youkai lord returned, he would never tolerate her questions… even if she had still had the breath to speak them. So she would keep her explorations to herself, if only because she could not voice them.

One place had intrigued her, though; in the southeast corner a courtyard remained, open to the sky and overgrown with vegetation. Vines crept up the wooden pillars that held the roof, and a few gnarled trees provided shade in the dim light. Bushes, grasses and moss clung to every surface, coating the courtyard with life and muffling with its leaves the world just outside the weathered doors. 

Sounds of running water had lead her to a secluded spot were a pool lay; in its murky depths Naga thought she could see the flashes of shimmery scaled bodies of fish among the water plants. A small waterfall stood at one end, rushing over the jagged rocks and down into the otherwise still water; it seemed to whisper in the stillness of the verdant garden. 

As Naga knelt beside the pool, fingers brushing its surface lightly, the bright fish came to the surface, roused by the disturbance. Long gauzy tails and fins trailing behind their sleek bodies, they mulled about curiously as the slave with drew her hand from the water. For a moment, Naga thought she saw someone staring back at her through the glassy surface; a slim white face stared back, framed with large dark eyes, inky hair cascading loosely over small delicate shoulders.

For a minute, the girl stared at the face before her, transfixed. Slowly she reached out a hand to touch the image before her… and with a slightly startled expression drew back. When she looked back at the pool, the face was gone. After a long moment, Naga rose from her kneeling position and turned back the way she had come. A troubled expression was on her face as she stepped through the age roughened doors_. I should be more cautious in these places; strange things inhabit these walls… And that girl trapped in the pool; is she an image brought on by my delirious mind? I am not so sure I wish to know…_

Silently the weathered doors swung closed on rusted hinges, once more shuttering the garden from the world.

Hiten stared across the table, eyes guarded as he mulled the proposal over. The other lords looked at him expectantly.

"Yes," The youkai finally answered. "A fortnight's stay at my fortress would not be unattainable. You have my permission." 

"Excellent. Then we shall depart tomorrow?" The lord at the head of the table nodded thoughtfully. 

"We will travel more quickly by flight." Hiten looked steadily at those around him, the lesser lords and generals. After a minute's pause, he rose to his feet. "I trust you will be prepared."

Without any further pause the great lord left the hall, lesser youkai bowing and scraping decorously.

As he passed through the door, a thought suddenly struck him. _A month… a month has passed. Has my servant remained? Or has she escaped past the wards? Would I bother to find the wench if she did_? With a start, Hiten realized the thought bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

With a growl, the youkai stormed down the hall, steps echoing angrily. _This lord does not _fetch _a mere slave. If I find the little fool has dared to flee, I will run her down and slit her throat as I should have from the very beginning._

Author's Note: Hey! This is a little bit different from what I usually write, but I thought it would be interesting to go a little in depth about Hiten's so-called lair… so this was just for a change of scenery. Tune in next time to see what Hiten's been doing for the last month… and its not what you think. o__O


	11. Watching Me

Author's Note: Yes, well it looks like these will now be shorter chapters… :P Thanks again for reviewing!!!

In the stifling silence, a lone figure padded silently down the hall, taking care not to disturb the tables and hangings as she passed. Naga glanced over her shoulder; nothing._I feel as if I am being watched... there is a strangeness to this place now._

When the slave had awoken, she had noticed the slight difference in the atmosphere; as she had entered the great hall Naga had noticed that a long low table had appeared, set with white dishes and mats all round. 

It was as if the palace was expecting something... those invisible servants, or whatever they were, had only once before made their presence known; when the lord was residing in the fortress._And I believe he may return shortly. It has been so long since I last saw him... Things would only appear like this if Lord Hiten command them to_.

Quickening her pace, Naga finally reached the small alcove that was her refuge. Setting herself down on the thin sleeping mat, she reached for the small box in which she kept her meager belongings; carefully she grasped the long bronze hairpins. In the half-light, the points gleamed wickedly as she withdrew them from the box.

Turning to face the bit of glass propped against a wall, she combed her fingers through the dark think mass of hair, and deftly wound it into a high bun at the back of her head. Carefully grasping a pin by the bit of green stone at the blunt end, she inserted the metal, securing the knot.

Naga leaned down and picked out another length of metal; turning back to the bit of mirror, she held her hands poised to thrust the sharp thing into her hair when something touched her.

The pin sliced a red line across the palm of her left hand, causing Naga to gasp in pain as she whipped her head around to see who had touched her. To her surprise, there was only a strange lingering scent-- more remembered sensation than tangible smell-- and a strange knowledge; the master had returned.

As soon as his feet touched the rough stones of the outermost courtyard the fortress, Hiten cast about himself for her; the reason he felt the impulse to find his one and only slave? He was not sure he wanted to know the answer. _It would merely be a waste of time to go and run down the little mortal creature. No lord should have to go and search for his own slave to come and serve him. Yet... I find the idea not unpleasing... If only for the pleasure of the hunt._

The metal bound doors swung inward as the youkai lord turned towards them and with a cool dignity walked between the two halves. As he surveyed the practical inner courtyard lined with a few age gnarled trees and plants put there by some long since forgotten individual, he allowed himself a faint smile of satisfaction.

Turning back to the small army still awaiting his permission to enter his domain, he smiled again, this time a slight upturning of the mouth as he surveyed the lesser lords and their underlings around them.

"You lords and your entourage are welcome in this place," Hiten spoke with a calculated coolness, a tone that invited no argument. "A nights stay at the Fortress of Thunder is seemingly small extension of my courtesy. I trust you shall enjoy your brief stay." With those words, he spun on his heel and entered the place that he mocking referred to as 'home.'

Within the dim corridors that lead off from the vaulted main entranceway, his eyes covertly searched for signs of the slave girl he had left a turn of the moon ago. As Hiten lead the lords towards the great hall at the heart of the palace, his senses picked up faint traces of her scent... old and dissipated in the air. 

Leading his guests deeper, into the heart of his palace, the youkai had a strange sense of emptiness, as if the spirit of the place had been choked. After showing the lords the way, he split from the group and headed towards the one place he thought she might be. As he came closer, he thought he caught the slight smell of blood… human blood.

Author's Note: Ack! Sorry… still trying to crank it out!!! Please hold on! 


	12. The Intruder

Author's Note: Phew!!! **__** Sorry! I'm still cranking, slowly but surely!!! I have a bit of a cold; typing and sneezing at the same time is a talent this author has yet to master :P …Special thanks to Glimmering Stars for rooting me on **^__O**

Smoothing down the fabric of her robe, the slave walked the length of the hall with a strange mix of anticipation and fear_. Not that I wanted him to return, not that I wanted him to come back here… its just empty without him. I dislike all the standing around… and the freedom… So know I will have order again, as slave to master_.

Naga shook the thoughts from her mind as she neared the hall, trying to school her expression into something she imagined could be interpreted as subservient. She had no idea what mood her lord would be in; better to be safe and play the humble human role he seemed to approve of.

A noise from the far end of the darkened corridor made the slave lift her head-- Naga found herself frozen as the growling man hurtled towards her, a short knife glittering in his fist, hair streaming behind him as yellow eyes blazed at her. Naga's instincts took over; like a rabbit from a fox she turned to flee…

__

OOUFF!!

Her feet were swept from under her as the youkai tackled her, robes and limbs flying; Naga opened her mouth in a silent scream as his weight bore her to the ground.

"Where is he?!" He growled, gripping her by the wrists.

Naga opened her mouth to answer--_Oh…_

Her lord stared down at her in irritation for a moment; then his face changed as he was forced to remember what he had done to his slave. _Mute… How could I have forgotten_?

"Who has attacked my fortress?" The youkai shook her slightly, eyes bright as he searched the hall for evidence.

Naga's brows drew together as she looked up at him _What? I saw no one… How could someone have attacked this place without my knowing…?_

Seeing her face, Hiten snarled in frustration. "Someone was here! I smell the blood-- _who attacked you_?"

Without waiting for a reply of any kind, he searched her with his eyes. Catching sight of the cloth wrapped around her hand, he pulled it towards him. 

Growling, Hiten tore the bandage from Naga's palm, searching the wound beneath for a moment in silence. Then his eyes settled on her again as he let the undamaged hand drop from his grasp.

"_Who_?"

Heart in her throat, Naga shook her head vigorously _I have to make him understand, or he may go and tear the throat from the first thing he sees. Oh, Kami…_

"No? What are you saying, wench?" He looked furiously at the slave as she cringed from his voice.

Letting out a gasp of hair, Naga pointed at her chest _Me_! I_ cut myself--_

'Me' she formed her lips around the syllables, hoping he would understand.

For a moment, the youkai frowned at the seemingly senseless slave.

" _You_ did this?" Lord Hiten looked disbelieving. 

Naga nodded her head, face still as she waited for the abuse to rain down on her once he realized that it had been her own fault.

"…You? You cut yourself like that?" His voice was barely controlled as he stared at her. "What _possessed_ you to take your own life, you damnable slave?!"

Naga's mouth flew open in shock at the turning of events-- _What is he speaking of? I would never do such a thing to myself!_

Tearing her hand from his grasp, she lifted her hands to her head, withdrawing the ill-favored hairpin. Taking it in her uninjured hand, she pantomimed the accident for him.

"You slipped-- is that all? You _slipped_…!" His face changed so quickly; one moment angry and scornful-- and the next, blank... With a quick movement, he was towering above her, pulling Naga to her feet.

For a moment he gazed silently at her, expression unreadable. Then he turned away, telling her to 'straighten up' and that his guests would not stand waiting for her to grace them with her appearance. 

He left her standing in the middle of the hall, mouth pressed in a thin line as she watched him fade into the shadows at the far end of the passage. As she raked her fingers through her half-pinned hair and readjusted her gaping robe, she wondered if it wouldn't have been better if he just had stayed wherever he had been.

__

SSPLASH

Hiten lifted his face from the basin of cold water, taking a shuddering breath as the icy shock wore away. Plunging his hands in again, the youkai lord repeated the process, trying not to gasp as icy numbness replaced the burning sensation on his skin. That fool child makes my blood boil! It would have been much simpler if she _had_ killed herself… However, I think I have had enough blood on my hands for a time… 

He stared at the reflection the water cast, a strange intensity in his face as he searched the image, wondering what part of himself had changed in the past few turns of the moon. Could that woman-child have something to do with it? Hiten briefly allowed himself to wonder; with a snarl of disgust he knocked the bowl away from him and stormed out of the bath chamber. _A 500 year old youkai does not bend their ways to the whim of a human-- a creature who's life begins and ends in the blink of an eye!… And yet-- how can I stand here and refuse to acknowledge that things _have_ changed_? 

For a minute, the lord stood as if transfixed; then with a twitch of his shoulders, he turned to the clothing laid out before him and put his mind to the more immediate and less threatening matter at hand. 

Author's Note: _Angst_!!! More than you could thumb your nose at, or shake a stick at… or something **o__O**… Anyways-- lots of ANGST!!! I hope you people are enjoying the events as they unfold as much as I am!! Oh, by the way-- tell me what your thinking! My faithful reviewers… and also the 'one-night-stand' ones, too-- I would love to get feedback! Tell me what U want--- it really will be taken into consideration!! SO pleaseeee review! **^__^**


	13. Loyal Slave

Author's Note: Whoa… so many moons have gone by since I last updated!!! Yikes! I will try to make it up with a very long chapter…. Emphasis on TRY… **o__O** Thanks again for all those awesome reviews, peeps! WOW, I got 30!! **^__^**

Aikonaga's hands were white knuckled as she picked her way through the bodies scattered haphazardly throughout the room, dodging reaching hands and other obstacles. She did not bother to estimate the hours that she had spent running, fetching and carrying; her feet ached and she throbbed with the countless bruises, courtesy of the impatient youkai. _Even my master is more humane than these; I am an animal and nothing more than a beast of burden, a means to an end… I suspect that if I were to take up a sword and slice my own still beating heart from my chest, not one would give me a second glance_…

The slave's face remained expressionless as she did the youkais' bidding, bringing food, taking papers and whatever else the horde deigned for her to do. As she ran to and fro, Naga couldn't help but notice the strange deformities some of the creatures boasted; horns, extra limbs, missing limbs-- all of these seemed to be of the lowest ranking, or so Naga observed as she covertly watched the scene before her. Those with more human-like visages seemed to posses an air of authority over their more nightmarish counterparts; some appeared to be so human that Naga, had she not known, would have dismissed them as ordinary mortal beings. 

"Wench! Here!" A voice startled her out of her thoughts. Naga blinked and looked over; one of the lords was leering in her direction. Keeping her expression blank, the slave hurried across the room, taking car not to step on various appendages and belongings. 

As she neared the youkai she could see fury etching lines in his arrogantly handsome face; the lord stood to his feet and Naga flinched as he raised his hand as if to strike her.

"Are you lacking, _whelp_? _Do you expect me to wait on you_?" 

Naga bowed her head, making every effort not to offend the lord any further, shoulders tensing for a blow. 

"What? No apology?" The lord grabbed her chin and yanked her eyes up to look at him. "Where has your tongue gone? Are you _deaf_?" Talons pierced Naga's skin as she made an attempt to wrench herself from the youkai's grip.

__

Crack!

The lord's fist connected with Naga's jaw, sending her reeling back with the taste of blood in her mouth. She turned to flee and he grabbed her arm, fingers digging in like fishhooks as he pulled her back to him. The lord pulled her forward, one hand reaching to the fastenings of her robe and the other grabbing her hips and forcing the slave against his body. _Kami!_

Naga gasped as he grabbed her face and smashed his lips against hers, teeth slicing the inside of her mouth. Onlookers laughed at the slave's feeble attempt to free herself. After a breathless moment, the lord shoved her away, licking the blood from his lip and grinning.

"Just wait-- you bite me now, but tonight I will make you scream." As a few laughed in the background, the lord leered at Naga. She reeled back, spitting the salt from her lip as he turned away. _If only I had bitten harder_…

"Lord Hiten has good taste… Maybe tonight he will reward his loyal servant, heh?" One of the lesser youkai cackled as he made a halfhearted grab for the girl. "Do you think he'd share?"

Naga turned and bolted to the doors with the sounds of the raucous youkais' laughter following as she slipped between them-- no-one followed; she didn't stop until the sounds of the awful din faded away. Her pulse pounded thunderously in her ears as she gasped for air, leaning against a wall for support. Naga glanced down the way she had come, making sure none had followed her escape. _If there had not been so many all round, he would have raped me… Will he ask the master for me tonight? Would lord Hiten give my body to him_…? The slave was not sure she wished to know that answer. 

The hall echoed with the sounds of activity as the guests gorged themselves on the feast that had been put before them. As the great youkai lord surveyed the sight of his ravenous minions, he was struck by what a disgusting sight it was. Some tore at mangled handfuls of raw flesh, blood dripping down their chins carelessly; gnawed bones were carelessly tossed aside as the youkai reached for more meat, washing it down with gulps of sour wine. _Odd how they all seem so… vile, now. At one time, I would have joined with them in licking the blood from my claws and sucking marrow from the bones. But it no longer holds any pleasure for me… What has changed? Why do I no longer find contentment in what my kind has found enjoyable for thousands of years? These things do not please me as they used to…_

A dull spot of color drew him from his thoughts; Hiten glanced about, searching for… yes, there the girl creature was, waiting on one the lords. He frowned as his eyes picked up on the slave's body language, stiff and artificial looking as the youkai leered suggestively at her. As she moved away, the underling lord looked after her as if he could undress her with his eyes. After a moment of gazing on the spectacle, Hiten looked away and downed a mouthful of the sour tasting wine before him in an effort to distract himself. 

The feast wore on and on till the shadows had grown long and dark; all of the lord's lesser followers had been dismissed long ago and only the youkai possessing a title remained. In the bright candlelight their eyes glowed and teeth flashed as the lords discussed plans for departure the next morning. Hiten sat back, presiding over the discussion and deigning only to speak when he felt necessary; though his face remained immobile through the verbal battles, his eye frequently drifted toward the slave girl. She too had stayed after the others had been ordered to retire; though her face was carefully bland, he could tell by her stiff and slowed movements that the girl was exhausted. 

When, at length, the plans had been looked over and verified, Hiten sat at the head of the table and uttered something in closing, formally thanking the lords and bidding them goodnight. The slave stepped to the table, bending at the waist to retrieve the now empty decanter of wine; as someone laughed hoarsely one of the guests grabbed the girl and pulled her toward him roughly. Hiten stood to his feet as the slave cried out; the lord noticed the sudden attention and removed his hand from where his fingers had been fumbling with the fastening of her robe.

"Lord, with your generous permission, I wish to… make use of this girl tonight; surely you will grant your loyal servant this small request?" The slave froze in his arms as Hiten stared evenly down on the underling lord; she seemed to implore him silently with her eyes as the lesser youkai looked on arrogantly.

The room grew silent as lord Hiten stood before his guests, face impassively set as his golden eyes traveled slowly over his guests. Even the proud general sensed the sudden chill that had settled over the room.

"I see no reason to deny you this small privilege," the youkai lord's voice was steady as he turned the full weight of his gaze upon the abrasive general. "… When you have proven yourself worthy of my faith in your so-called servitude."

The general stepped forward, eyes glinting in the half-light as he prepared to challenge his lord's words. Hiten ignored the youkai; turning to the others before him, he bid them good night. 

Author's Note: Phew…. Another one!!!! ( authors now has writer's cramp… ouch) I was stuck about what to write… so it took me a bit. Tune in next time to find out what happens… if you review. **^__O**


	14. His Indecision

Author's Note: _Nergh_! I got so tired!! I tried to update but I've had to work six hour shifts every weekend!!! Its so boring and late at night…. :P Anyways, thanks for the _very_ encouraging reviews. I am very touched… _sniff_… _BLORK_ **o__O **(blows nose). Special thanks to those who keep rooting me on and special special thanks for the ideas-- I am actually working the ending with one **^__O**

_Dark eyes.. .Maten's… _

…blue eyes; her eyes… 

Like fire-- they burn me like fire! 

Flame… consuming, pain, and burning… 

I die…

With a start Hiten bolted upright, hand wildly groping for the dagger resting on the cushion next to his head. Muscles trembling, he scanned the room; _It was only a dream_… Sinking back down on the bed, the youkai let the knife drop from his stiff fingers and ran a hand over his sweat-slicked chest, feeling the erratic beating of his heart within. _I do not dream… yet why these visions come to me in the middle of the night, I do not know. Youkai do not dream_…

With a frustrated growl, the lord rose from the cushions and silks. He made his way across the pitch-black room, golden yellow eyes easily cutting through the darkness. He slung a robe around his bare shoulders and exited his dark sanctum, sliding silently over the polished floor. 

Shadows seemed to cling to his form as he walked the long corridors, eyes sliding unseeingly over the wealth of objects lining the way. _How strange that in this fortress, there is but one place that I would be… I have spent more years there than in any other room. So many handfuls of years I have wasted in that place…_

A kind of quiet seemed to settle over the youkai lord at the familiar feel of the weathered wood door beneath his fingers as he pushed his way through the entrance. The soft glow of stars illuminated his path through the wild and untended vegetation of the garden as the white gravel crunched beneath his feet. As Hiten allowed the familiar smells to draw him in, he noticed a strange undertone; he was not alone. His blood heated at the thought of someone intruding on this most sacred of places. But the scent was somehow familiar… _human_, female; the girl. 

A tremor ran though his mind as the girl's face came to his mind; quietly the youkai moved quietly towards the center of the garden, the soft sound of moving water reaching his ears as he drew near. 

Not long after she had snuffed out the last lantern in the great hall, Naga had found her way to the garden again, ears still ringing with the abuse of only hours before. Muscles protested as the slave shifted from her makeshift seat, an unremarkable yet convenient rock; as the girl lifted her face to the night darkened sky, she found herself wondering. _Only a few passings of the hour and yet my mind cannot comprehend the happenings, as if they were long forgotten memories_…

A twinge in her shoulder promptly reminded her that the bruises on her jaw, neck and arms were real enough; she leaned over the smooth surface of the water to asses the damages. The pool created a mirror for the refracted light of the stars, giving Naga's surroundings a faint celestial glow; small pale forms shimmered undisturbed just below its glassine surface. The image in the water stared intently, face pale and smooth in the half-light; a bruise ruptured the skin just above and to one side of her chin. Naga touched her smashed lower lip hesitantly, fingers sliding over the tears the youkai had left from his casual usage of her. 

Anger ran suddenly hot in her veins as the scene replayed, suddenly fresh in her mind_. Slave or no, I am not an animal to be used and thrown aside like refuse. No _man_ would treat a woman as that supposedly exalted youkai used me._ Even as Naga clenched her fist, the emotion ebbed; anger was a powerless emotion, a poison that she knew she did not need. If she were to survive this treacherous lifestyle, insolence would bring her only painful--and fatal--chastisement. _And I do mean to live through this… and past it_. 

Without a second's warning, clawtips rested lightly against her throat; she froze, breathe catching as her heart skipped wildly. 

"You might have been dead, foolish girl. Imagine it; your blood thickening in a pool beneath your cooling body, your assailant walking away." Lord Hiten said with disgust. "What useless nubs your ears and nose are." Sharp tips briefly pricked at her ear, gentled enough not to draw blood, only leave whitened impressions of the youkai's fingertips. 

Naga remained still as the hand withdrew, her pulse receding as she listened to her master's voice, sliding over her as she gazed into the mirror that revealed his presence to her. 

The youkai stepped in front of the slave, blocking the stars as he seemed to loom over her; she bowed her head to hide the heat that threatened to rise in her face. Her master was clothed in only a robe that seemed casually wrapped around his form and his hair unadorned and loose. _Perhaps he came to send me away from this place… perhaps he has no modesty, no concern. What does it matter what I see or think_?

"When did I give you leave to roam about this place; has the slave grown brash in my absence? Forgotten her place?" Her master's voice was soft, yet edged as he looked down upon Naga. A fingertip lifted her face, deceptively gentle, to meet his gaze.

Swelling disfigured the features revealed to Lord Hiten in the cool light and bruises; smashed lips and battered cheek stood out against the soft white skin. Her eyes seemed luminescent and large, too big for her small delicate frame as the not-man looked down upon her. _Damaged… my loyal servant has disfigured my slave. Perchance I should put to the test his so-called _loyalty… With an expression of annoyance, he let his hand drop, almost flinching away from the contact. 

After a moment of silence the youkai moved away, careless of the robe slipping from his shoulders; had he been alone, the clothing would have been discarded, most likely. Strangely, the stillness was not an uncomfortable one, but what were words to one who could not speak them? Hiten turned to face the girl, who sat patiently on her stone, as if waiting for him to rant and tirade her with commands. Despite her attentiveness, his eyes did not fail to notice the smudges under her eyes, the slight slouch of her spine.

As his lips parted to speak dismissal, a sudden thought struck the lord; did he want the silent, strange girl to go? In this place, on this night… Hiten was no longer certain, for once, of anything. 

Authors' Note: Ouch… I have writer's _blokk_… I was going to wax all poetic and philosophical and now… _drat_. I was even thinking about a little touchy-feely junk…. Oh well. I'll make up with one very good chapter… So don't eat me!! If you eat me, my secret thoughts and plans and plots will not be assimilated into your mind. Trust me. _Gnnrrr_. I swear though, I might do 2 chapters at once-- u know-- upload 2, back to back episodes! I'm thinking this thing will probably be at least 20 chapters… originally I thought **15**, but it ain't gonna happen… unless Hiten dies suddenly … _again_. **^__^** Heh. Heh. (Author has thought of way to surely get herself killed by enraged readers…)


	15. Not Yet Departed

Author's Note: Ack! This is sooo hard to write! I have a hard time writing dialogue… **o__O** nerk. It bothered me for a whole week… I've been feeling veeery guilty! But I do have an ending …it is very near. Oh yes. Very, very near. Don't worry about it though, there might very well be a sequel! I hope everybody will be surprised when I unveil things…. **^__O** Special thanks to my reviewers… You're the wind beneath my wings!…

Except for the faint whisper of the nighttime breeze, the garden was silent. Faint light fell on two figures, the garden's sole occupants. The slave stared into the pool at her feet, waiting to hear her master's words.

When none came she looked up, lifting her face to meet the youkai's eyes questioningly. 

He seemed to be on the brink of vocalizing dismissal; then the lord stopped and turned from her in what seemed like frustration. Naga followed his movements with her eyes, wondering at his apparent irritation. _Perhaps he wishes that I leave him to his thoughts… After all, I do not belong in this place_.

With deliberation, she rose to her feet and turned to go, thinking the youkai had intended for her to leave without verbal affirmation. 

When she was but a few paces away, a voice made her pause. 

"Have I dismissed you? No," Lord Hiten's voice was even and calm. "We might discuss things, you and I…"

Naga turned to face her master, lowered eyes peering from beneath jet lashes as she kept her respective distance. 

Again he turned from her, shoulders tensing as he ran a hand carelessly through his hair, causing it to ripple like an angry twitch of tail.

"…I no longer require your attendance where guests are concerned. Your presence has proven a… " The youkai paused, chagrinned, as he turned to face her "…A _distraction_ to my allies."

Naga looked wary at her master's words, wondering distantly if she might have heard him wrong. _He no longer requires my…? Kami-- is he going to _dispose_ of me_?

Images rose unbidden at the thought; there were many ways Lord Hiten might rid himself of her. Not many were pleasant in the least.

Hiten saw the mask settle into place as the words feel from his lips; he could almost feel the distance to which she retreated. Then she met his eyes, questioning the fate laid before her with an almost defiant look; as if to say _do your worst_. 

He paused; what had seemed only sensible hours before now held none of its earlier certainty for the youkai lord. _Dare I even let her go when-- _No_…_ Hiten flinched as his thoughts delved onto a dark and dusty path that he dared not peruse.

"I _should_ give you as a parting gift to my arduous general," He grimaced thoughtfully. "Though I believe you would not enjoy his company much-- at least not as much as he would yours. But as my general has done nothing deserving of such a _reward_…" 

The slave let her eyes drop, but not before he saw relief flicker in their depths. The youkai faced her abruptly, teeth glinting in the light as he let his eyes travel over her, gaze veiled. 

"The lords to the east require assistance and I, as their overlord, could not refuse my allies aid. Consequently, if you have not already guessed it, I will be departing at dawn tomorrow, which--" Hiten paused to glance at the nighttime sky "-- is not but a few hours away. And I… " 

Silence settled like a heavy blanket as he looked away from the human's eyes, strangely bright against the darkness; they were Maten's eyes, so familiar to his own. _And yet they are worlds apart, my brother and this… woman. I feel no brotherly affinity at the sight of those eyes. What I _feel_ is everything but that affinity where she is concerned. Not that it matter in a few hours time_…

"This may seem not to be of any significance to your realm of existence, but you must be made to understand this. I, as youkai, am impervious to your limited human cycle of years. While you grow old and decay, my kind remains unchanged." This he said mildly, as if unmoved by the complications he was indicating. 

Lightly, the youkai placed a clawed forefinger against the girl's chin, lifting her face to his as if her mind would wander if not given the constant reminder of his face before her. 

Naga flinched at the clawtips pressing into the soft skin beside her jugular, distracting her from the connections her mind was struggling to make. _He is leaving again, so soon… Another war is what I think he means to fight; and time has no effect on him...So. He means to leave me again in this place… Is this how youkai take their leave of one another_? 

"…I will be gone for some time." Lord Hiten looked directly at the girl, emphasizing his words. 

__

Many? She shaped her lips around the word carefully, questioningly._I_ _believe I understand… And I wish that I was wrong._

The master met his slave's gaze evenly. "You are to remain as my _retainer_… For however long I am away, you will tend to my fortress's needs. I believe you can be trusted so far as that." 

__

Oh. Naga looked down at her clasped hands, knuckles white against the skin; so this was her master's purpose in bringing her there. _It is strange… I feel as though I am a pawn, a means to an end in his designs… What did I expect-- what did I want from him? I am nothing more than a slave to him… and yet I am disappointed. I can't begin to unravel these emotions…_

Lord Hiten sensed her turmoil, mistaking the emotions than clouded her eyes; he refused it see it for what it was. "Now… You have my permission to go." His voice trailed off as the girl bowed deeply, respectfully, knowing it would be the last she would quite probably ever see of her master again.

Watching the slim pale form retreat from the garden's center, the youkai could not help but feel as if something in his world had just been snuffed out.

Author's Note: well… hope it didn't suck egg… _rotten_ egg, too much! I have a hard time coming up with stuff those two can talk about… **-__-** sigh… Its not fun. But I'm still trying to get to the gushy stuff! Am I taking too long? Should Hiten just break loose and start giving her hickeys? Its your job as the reviewers to give moi feedback on this stuff, ok?? Thanks again, K.A.


	16. Blood Colored Silk

Author's Note: Phew! Finally cranked it out! I meant to have this done by last Monday.... GRRR. I dislike school. And work... Anyways, I've gotten some very great ideas for the end... and its going to be like nothing you never did see.... **o__O*** yeah. 'Nways, enjoy! (p.s. what's wrong with Aikonaga's name???)

Special Notice: Please check out the site! I uploaded I new picture that I myself drew! J I swear its worth the time!

It was beautiful. Naga ran disbelieving hands of the soft sleek material laid out before her, fingers trembling slightly. It was the most beautiful garment she had ever seen, nothing like her own peasant's garb, rough and clumsy. Carefully, she lifted the kimono up to the light, eyes widening with appreciation. _He honors me with this gift... What does he mean to suggest? ...How could any man-any youkai-- have such an eye as my lord's for beauty_?

Fantastic dark clouds seemed to float amid a bright sea of fiery crimson sky; a phoenix flew proudly amid the seemingly turbulent winds with fierce yellow eyes. With a faint smile, Naga stepped out of her ragged robe and lifted the red silk; the silk fluttered and settled around her bare shoulders, warm and weightless. 

Pressing the kimono to her, she turned to the sliver of glass; her eyes widened with appreciation at the image it revealed to her. The cloth clung to her curves almost perfectly... as if he had known her shape. Thoughts came to the slave as she mulled over the notion; was this gift a random gesture, or an attempt to placate her? Could it be a parting gift, something so she would not forget him? Or had he only noticed the disgracefully threadbare state of her garb and thought to clothe her in something less shamefully ragged? Naga turned her thoughts from the unhappy road they were traveling. 

Suddenly, there was a draft of cool air on the back of her neck; she felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle as she shrugged the silk closer around her shoulders. In the dimly lit room, the candle flickered wildly, then stilled. The door stood open, but no shadow stood outlined in its frame she saw as she turned. 

In the now throbbing silence, ears and eyes straining for a glimpse or noise to explain, Naga walked to the door intending to look to see if anyone waited outside. _Perhaps my lord requires something or does he wish to see me? Kami_--!

Hands encircled her mouth, effectively silencing her gasp, cutting off her air. In a panic, she squirmed in her captor's arms and bit the hand over her mouth; she was rewarded with an enraged curse and the sickly sweet tang of blood filling her mouth. Abruptly the attacker loosed her; Naga whirled with a silent cry, adrenaline pounding through her veins as she trembled a sudden with rage_. How dare you attack me! Who dares attack me in my master's house? Coward to attack his slave_! 

Her fist connected with the assassin's face with a muffled smack and Naga felt something give way as he staggered under the half wild blow. Turning to flee while the man was still stunned, she underestimated his injury; she paid for her mistake as pain shot down her spine as the creature snagged her trailing long hair. The slave bit back a sob as he clamped fingers around her neck, crushing her already nearly useless throat.

Then, though she could not remember how it came to be, a blade like pin was in her fist; she hesitated for a split second, then buried it in the joint of her foe's shoulder and felt the crushing grip on her throat lessen instantly as he staggered back, an inhuman scream issuing from his lips. 

With a gruesome clarity, Naga plucked the jeweled weapon from his flesh. With a silent sound part shriek and half sob, she sunk the slim dagger deep into the foe's chest. 

As if in a dream, Aikonaga watched his death throes, her stomach threatening to empty itself as she watched in morbid fascination. Even as she willed herself to avert her face, the man... youkai, stilled and his eyes clouded as a widening pool of blood spread around him. He turned his face to her and Naga gasped as she recognized one of the general's followers. Then the light faded from his stare as he let out a death rattle, his body seeming to collapse in on itself as life left him. Naga saw her vision darkening as she lost consciousness...

...Then, she was running, tearing down the silent corridors, trying to put distance between her and the-- _ I killed Oh, Kami, I am not a murderer... not a murderer... I do not destroy. Forgive me...I must find my lord before_--

Someone stood in the middle of the hall, blocking her escape. Even as she turned to dodge, Naga knew she was too late; with apparent ease, the general plucked her from the air, like a hawk falling upon a sparrow. 

"Ah? What is this; a slave girl who has lost her way?" The youkai's voice was dripping with feigned innocence. He forced her towards him, malice gleaming in his eyes. "But what is this _blood_ that I see covering your hands?"

Holding her hands before him, he leaned forward and licked her blood-slicked palm, hands grasping at her wrists as his mouth worked greedily to remove all the traces of blood. Naga shuddered in disgust as his tongue laved at the crimson staining her hands, his throat working as he swallowed. When he finally drew away, the general's face was blank, white, and almost blissful as he seemed to mull over the sharp metallic taste as though it was a fine wine.

"_My lordling_... Such a short time he has walked the earth in this life, " he looked strangely at Naga. "..._So_. He wished to pluck the rose as no other would dare, to enjoy its lush virtues for himself.... But in his hurry, his lust to posses it, he became careless."

Naga felt chill fingers trail down her spine at the eyes that bored into hers, assessing her reaction, calculating and cold. 

The youkai's voice grew dangerously soft as he circled her like a predator, falling in and out of shadow as he moved with an inhuman, disjointed grace. "Careless enough to forget that even the most ardent flower posses thorns. And he paid the price, did he not?"

The slave turned her face, reviled at the blood showing brightly on his mouth, wet and gleaming. With obvious pleasure, the youkai trailed a gore-encrusted finger across her cheek, leaving a trail of something-she dared not wonder what-warm and wet.

"And _I_? I desire to taste _all_ of this exquisite, spined thing of beauty. Like my unfortunate slave, I lust after it..."

Turning from the weird light gleaming madly in the youkai's eyes, Naga felt herself fighting the urge to wretch. His hands slid down the red silk, claws catching in its smooth surface. The general seemed to gloat at his captive, smile mirthful as he let his eyes rove her body.

"But unlike my late disciple, I shall posses it entirely."

Author's Note: Was that enough graphic death for one chapter? I could be ever so much more detailed!! **__** I ain't that far gone, thank you. Thanks for all the AWESOME reviews! Only all your support keeps me going! Unlike other author's I ALWAYS read every single review, even if it's short! I _love_ you all to death for taking the time to review! 


	17. Rigor Mortis

Author's Note: EEEgads! I've been trying to fit a 35 hour work week into 6 days… ugh. I'm beyond tired! *eyes roll back, passes out* Anyways, I decided to put this up before I had to work AGAIN!!! Grrr. This is a new job, so its hard… it pays really well though… :P I'm very sorry I didn't update loong before this!!

The youkai moved in the pre-dawn light, the sounds of leather and metal joining in with the snarl and rumble of voices. Even as the pale sun rose to warm the chill air the glow was harsh, casting a sickly light over all.

The lord stood above the roil of youkai, face expressionless and shuttered as he watched his allies' minions scurrying to comply with their overlord's wishes. The various generals and lords were already mounted on their beasts.

Hiten allowed his eyes to slide over each one, slowly...

Then he stopped-- one was missing; immediately he knew who it was. The arrogant general who at last night's dinner molested the slave-- his slave-- before Hiten's eyes and had then had the audacity to ask for her in his bed as a token of his lord's favor. As if the bastard believed he was entitled to it.

The hair stood stiffly at the back of Hiten's neck; he had not seen the girl at all that morning. With a curse, he spun on his heel, heading back into the darkened halls with hardly an explanation. Threading his way through the structure, he cursed himself for his inattention to detail. Had the general been plotting his demise, Hiten might not have known it till the blade spilled the blood from his chest. When had he become so careless?

The halls became more familiar as the youkai made his way down the hall; a faint stench was drifting towards him. Faint and metallic mixed with the smell of gore; he knew the scents well.

The door hung open, half pulled from its hinges; the smell became sharper as he neared... corpse blood, old and stale.

Through the door, he saw splashes of bright color against the flimsy walls; the blood throbbed in Hiten's ears in the strange stillness. He, the great lord of thunder, found himself beseeching the heavens that what he saw in there would not be the corpse of _her_ lying there, mangled and torn in agony as her life bled onto the floor.

The floor, once spotless and dully glowing was now a sea of crimson; suddenly the youkai was reminded of silk… her red silk. Heart suddenly pounding, he entered the room. The body was crumpled on the floor, so stained with blood that Hiten found he could not identify it. His feet took him across the space, body moving of its own accord. With a shaking hand, he reached out and touched the shoulder, stiff and cold; he could not scent her at all in the filth that seemed to cover every surface.

Lifting the body, the lord caught sight of the face; with a curse he sprinted out of the room, his snarl echoing through the hall.

The youkai under lord stared sightlessly at the ceiling, mouth gaping as wide as the wounds that had been carved into his chest. As blood leaked sluggishly from the reopened scabs the disturbance had caused, a pin fell from his colorless fingers and clattered to the floor.

Leather creaked as the thunder god tugged his armor into place, securing burnished metal plates, running his fingers over the straps; his eyes were cold and his mouth set in a grim line as he wiped the caked blood from his hands. The youkai prepared himself; he would avenge himself on his enemies. _I am prepared to undo the wrong that has been waged against me. That damned creature I was wrong to call my general, my ally, will not escape with his life. That I am certain of; that much I know_…

A mantra played over and over in his mind, over powering all other thoughts in the youkai's mind. He tried to drown it, knowing his anger would only unbalance him, to smother the moldering fury and the emotion that was resisting his tight control. _Not her blood… she is not dead… is _alive_… thank the heavens_

Fighting down the well of feeling Hiten dared not explore, not now, he gave a practiced shrug as if to ward off the dangerous thoughts. Turning from the dragon mirror, the lord left the room in search of his weapon.

As his footsteps sounded on the floor stones in the hallway, a plan laid itself open in his mind. The traitorous underling had taken from Hiten and fled to his rival, taking the slave as a token, a _gift_ to prove the coward's sincerity. Hiten bared his teeth at the thought of that thief deeming himself _honorable_. 

He pulled the doubled pronged spear from its resting place at the center of the great hall, the smooth wood falling comfortably into the youkai's hands, its weight familiar and calming. Muscles little used since his last battle stretched and awakened as Hiten swung the blade in a practiced arc.

As the razor edge gleamed in the light filtering down around him, the thunder god felt with a certainty his revenge would be attained.

Author's Note: Yes, very short. But give me credit, ok? I usually write very long chapters! Thanks for all the reviews!! I check my reviews every day-- I love to hear from you all so much! J Keep them coming!!!!


	18. Cold Silence

Author's Note: Uh… yeah. Another chapter! 2 for the price of 1!!! **__O**

The world was throbbing, red and deafening. Icy finger traveled over sensitive flesh, sending daggers of cold through the nerves beneath.

The slave girl shuddered, muscles twitching involuntarily, and opened her eyes to a room. It was so dark that the only things blacker were the shapes that stood in the middle of the sea of gray.

Naga mentally checked herself, hazily making sure her limbs were all accounted for and functioning; one the figures made a sound that might have been a laugh as she found and tested the bonds that held her. She was lying on a floor, cold and rough; the room was of indeterminable size, the walls and ceiling hidden in the darkness beyond.

A rasping sound drew the human's attention; she stilled herself as she saw the gleam of metal rise above her, gleaming like the sliver of a new moon. Without pause, the tall shape advanced silent though Naga felt every footstep that closed the distance between her and the figure.

The sword hung above her for a moment, as if frozen in the chill air. Then it dropped, singing through the air and she knew no more.

"…You are a fool, Yoma." The voice was dry and threaded with controlled malice.

"My lord, I--" The simpering reply was cut short by the first.

"You have underestimated this foe of mine, this lord. Why do you waste my time with such idiot mortal _trivialities_ as this?" 

"--But, I can assure you, my great lord, that I am quite certain of his ….ah, _affection_ for the woman."

A chill silence.

"I would not believe for a moment that he-- or any youkai-- could even bring himself to even lay eyes on such… My foe despises the whole race with more feeling than even I." The first voice was cool, calculating in the dark room.

"What--- But, my great lord, I have _proof_! His eyes, the way he--"

"_Enough_, Yoma," the lord ground out. "I will now consider what you have just told me… If I find anything credible that might be of use, of some _relevance_ to me. And if it is so, you may yet live to see at least another dawn."

Tension filled the air, the stillness stretching the seconds into hours.

"What of the woman,…my lord?"

"I have a use."

With a deep bow, the lowly youkai recognized his dismissal and fled.

She was _breathing_… somehow still alive.

Slowly, she opened her eyes; they had moved her to another room while she was unconscious. Nag touched the front of her robe, fingers catching on the smooth silk. She was still whole.

She seemed to be safe for now, but how long would it last?

Author's Note: Yes, its very short-- I will update soon!! Please shower me with attention in the form of very many reviews!!! **O__^**


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